I've spent weeks going through G2 reviews, Reddit rants, pricing horror stories, and contract disputes. Here's what most comparisons won't tell you: this isn't really a fair fight. ZoomInfo is a $3.5B public company selling to enterprises. Apollo is a $1.6B startup trying to be everyone's first sales tool. They're solving different problems at different price points.
Before we get into the details, here's the reality stripped of marketing language. These numbers should give you pause.
| Factor | ZoomInfo | Apollo |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | ~$15,000/year minimum Enterprise only | $49/user/month SMB friendly |
| Typical Contract | $25K-50K/year Multi-year push | $600-1,500/user/year Monthly available |
| Contract Terms | Annual, auto-renews 60-90 day cancel window | Monthly or annual Flexible |
| Built-in Outreach | Engage add-on (extra $$$) Separate product | Yes (sequences, dialer, email) Included |
| Intent Data | Yes Major differentiator | Limited Basic signals only |
| Data Accuracy (claimed) | ~95% Industry leading | ~80-85% Variable |
| Trustpilot Rating | 2.1/5 (1,200+ reviews) Contract issues | 2.2/5 (400+ reviews) Data issues |
| G2 Rating | 4.4/5 (8,400+ reviews) | 4.8/5 (7,200+ reviews) |
| Best For | Enterprise with budget + legal review | SMB/mid-market wanting one tool |
| The Big Risk | Auto-renewals + aggressive sales | Data accuracy + LinkedIn issues |
ZoomInfo has faced significant criticism for their contract practices. A lawsuit alleged they trapped a customer in auto-renewal by requiring a 60-day cancellation notice buried in terms. Government agencies have filed FOIA requests documenting disputes. Read every line of your contract.
ZoomInfo is the original B2B data giant. They've been at this since 2000, back when they were called DiscoverOrg. The pitch is simple: the most accurate, most comprehensive B2B database on the planet, plus intent data that tells you who's actively researching solutions like yours.
And honestly? The data quality is genuinely better than most competitors. ZoomInfo claims 95%+ accuracy on emails, and independent tests generally back that up. They have dedicated research teams verifying contacts. They're not just scraping LinkedIn.
This is ZoomInfo's real differentiator. Their intent data shows you which companies are actively researching topics related to your product. You can see when a target account suddenly starts reading articles about "CRM migration" or "sales automation."
Apollo doesn't really compete here. Their "intent" is basically just tracking who visited your website. ZoomInfo's intent comes from a massive network of B2B content sites and covers the entire buying journey.
Is it worth the premium? If you're doing enterprise sales with long cycles, probably yes. If you're doing high-volume outbound to SMBs, probably not.
ZoomInfo doesn't publish pricing, which should tell you something. Based on user reports and negotiation data from Vendr and Spendflo:
| Package | Typical Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | $15,000-20,000/year | Basic data access, limited exports, 2-3 users |
| Advanced | $25,000-35,000/year | More credits, intent data basics, 5+ users |
| Elite | $40,000-60,000+/year | Full intent, advanced analytics, integrations |
The pricing is per-seat but also credit-based. You'll pay for users AND for data credits. And there's no public documentation of credit costs—it's all negotiated. This opacity is intentional.
I'm going to be direct here. ZoomInfo's Trustpilot is a graveyard of auto-renewal complaints. The pattern is consistent:
But when it works, it works:
In March 2025, LinkedIn removed Apollo from their partner program, citing data scraping concerns. Apollo users reported issues with LinkedIn data accuracy afterward. The company says they've built workarounds, but it's worth knowing if LinkedIn is a primary prospecting channel for you.
Apollo is the anti-ZoomInfo. One platform, transparent pricing, includes outreach. You get 275 million contacts, email sequences, a built-in dialer, and basic analytics—all for about the cost of one ZoomInfo user.
For most teams under 50 people, this is genuinely enough. You don't need intent data to book meetings. You need accurate emails, phone numbers, and a way to reach out systematically. Apollo does all of that.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per user) | Key Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 10K email credits, 2 sequences |
| Basic | $59/user | $49/user | Unlimited email, 75 mobile/mo |
| Professional | $99/user | $79/user | Unlimited sequences, 100 mobile/mo |
| Organization | $149/user | $119/user | 200 mobile/mo, advanced analytics |
Let's do the math. A 5-person team:
ZoomInfo Professional: $15,000-20,000/year (data only, no outreach)
Apollo Professional: 5 × $79 × 12 = $4,740/year (data + sequences + dialer)
That's a 70-75% savings. And you can actually test Apollo before committing—their free tier is legitimately useful.
I'm not going to pretend Apollo's data is as good as ZoomInfo's. It's not. Independent tests show Apollo at 65-85% email accuracy depending on the segment. ZoomInfo is closer to 90-95%.
But here's the thing: is that 10-15% accuracy gap worth $10,000-15,000/year? For most teams, no. You'll just send a few more emails that bounce. Not ideal, but not business-ending either.
Where Apollo struggles more is direct dial phone numbers. Their mobile data is notably worse than ZoomInfo's. If your outbound motion is heavily phone-based, this matters.
The right answer depends almost entirely on your company stage and budget. Here's my honest take.
The math: You're burning runway. Every dollar matters. Apollo gives you everything you need for $50-80/user/month. ZoomInfo's $15K minimum buys you 3 years of Apollo for a single user.
Start with Apollo's free tier. Graduate to Professional when you need more. Save ZoomInfo for when you're at scale and can actually afford the contract risk.
Consider ZoomInfo if: You're targeting enterprise accounts, need intent data for ABM, have a RevOps person to manage it, and legal can review the contract.
Stick with Apollo if: You're doing high-volume SMB outbound, price sensitivity is still real, or you don't have dedicated ops capacity.
Many teams at this stage run both: Apollo for volume, ZoomInfo for strategic accounts.
At 50+ reps, Apollo's per-seat model gets expensive: 50 × $119 = $71,400/year. ZoomInfo's enterprise plans often include unlimited or high user counts.
Critical: Negotiate hard. Get 90-day cancellation windows in writing. Never accept auto-renewal without 60+ day written notice requirements. Have legal review everything.
If you're going to pick one:
If neither ZoomInfo nor Apollo feels right, here's the landscape. Every tool has tradeoffs.
| Tool | Starting Price | Contract | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognism | ~$10K/year | Annual | European data, GDPR compliance, phone-verified mobiles |
| Lusha | $49/mo | Monthly available | Chrome extension, simple enrichment, easy start |
| Clay | $149/mo | Monthly | Waterfall enrichment, 75+ data sources, technical teams |
| Seamless.AI | ~$147/user/mo | Annual push | Real-time verified data, Chrome extension |
| LeadIQ | $79/user/mo | Monthly | LinkedIn prospecting, Salesforce sync |
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